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A Guide to Snake
By over8999
=======================
Contents
=======================
1. About this guide
2. Introduction
2.1 Who is Snake?
2.2 How do I unlock Snake?
2.3 Why should I use Snake?
2.4 Pros and Cons
3. Movelists
3.1 Tilts
3.2 Specials
3.3 Aerials
3.4 Smashes
3.5 Grabs
3.6 Others
4. Advanced Techniques
4.1 Grenades
4.2 Mines
4.3 Others
5. Strategies
5.1 Brawl General Strategies
5.2 Snake's Strategies
6. Matchups
6.1 King Dedede
6.2 Meta Knight
6.3 Falco
6.4 Bowser
6.5 Captain Falcon
6.6 Diddy Kong
6.7 Donkey Kong
6.8 Fox
6.9 Game and Watch
6.10 Ganondorf
6.11 Ice Climbers
6.12 Ike
6.13 Jigglypuff
6.14 Kirby
6.15 Link
6.16 Lucario
6.17 Lucas
6.18 Luigi
6.19 Mario
6.20 Marth
6.21 Ness
6.22 Olimar
6.23 Peach
6.24 Pikachu
6.25 Pit
6.26 Pokemon Trainer
6.27 R.O.B.
6.28 Samus
6.29 Sheik
6.30 Snake
6.31 Sonic
6.32 Toon Link
6.33 Wario
6.34 Wolf
6.35 Yoshi
6.36 Zelda
6.37 Zero Suit Samus
7. Glossary
8. Frequently asked questions
9. Acknowledgements
10. Contact Information
=======================
1. About this guide
=======================
I am over8999, and welcome to my first guide! This guide will focus on battles
based on competitive rules, so no items, damage 1.0, neutral/counterpick stages
only. If there's language you don't understand, simply scroll to the glossary
or search for (word) with a colon (:) after.
Terminology:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
All controls listed are referring to the default GCN controller. If
you're wondering what those are, Control Stick to move, D-pad to taunt, L and R
to shield, B to special, A to attack, C-stick to smash, Y and X to Jump and Z
to grab. "Tilts" are called "strongs" in the instruction booklet. When I say
#tilt/air/smash, the letter refers to the direction. F=Forward, B=Back, D=Down,
U=Up and N=Neutral. This guide will not be accepted anywhere other than
GameFAQs.
Version History:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Version 0.00: Creation began on 8/9/09.
Version 0.75: Initial Guide.
Meta Knight and Falco in Matchups.
Submitted 11/9/09.
Rejected for incompleteness.
Version 1.00: Fixed some errors
Added all matchups.
Submitted 13/9/09
=======================
2. Introduction
=======================
2.1 Who is Snake?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Snake in Super Smash Bros Brawl is from the Metal Gear Series, made by Konami,
and was the first third party character featured in the Super Smash Bros
Series. There are many "Snakes" in the Metal Gear series, and the one featured
in this game is Solid Snake. As this is not a Metal Gear guide, and I have
never played a Metal Gear game, I will stop here.
2.2 How do I unlock Snake?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1. Play 15 matches on Shadow Moses Island (recommended)
2. Play 130 Brawls
3. Have him join in the Subspace Emissary
2.3 Why should I use Snake?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Snake has a very unique playstyle- not going for full force assaults, while not
based entirely on punishment either. Snake focuses on controlling the stage
through his use of explosives, limiting the opponent's possibilities and making
educated guesses over where to best intercept the opponent. Snake also makes a
good projectile camper. If that playstyle sounds fun (which it is) I highly
recommend you try to use him.
2.4 Pros and Cons
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Pros
Fast Tilts
Insane Range
Massive power
Spammable Grenades
Good Recovery
Tech Chases
Disjointed Hitboxes
Heavyweight
Great knockback
Cons
High learning curve
Slow Runner
May seem unusual to use at first
Bad out-of-ledge options
Very few options while above the opponent
Hard to sweetspot the ledge
=======================
3. Movelists
=======================
Damage: Total Percent (percent first hit, percent second hit).
Frame speed: Frame that the first hit comes out on. 60 frames in each second.
Knockback: My rating with 10 the highest and 1 the lowest.
Range: My rating with 10 the highest and 1 the lowest.
Usefulness: My rating with 10 the highest and 1 the lowest.
Notes: My notes on the move.
3.1 Tilts
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ahh, Snakes tilts, almost certainly the best in the game. Have range, power,
speed and knockback- what more could you want? Tilts are executed by holding a
direction and then pressing the attack button.
Forward Tilt
Damage: 21 (8, 12(?))
Frame speed: 4
Knockback: 9/10
Range: 9/10
Usefulness: 10/10
Notes: Almost certainly Snake's best move, quite possibly the best move in the
game. Use this move a lot, but not too much that it will decay or become
predictable. There are two main ways to use this- use it all time to rack up
damage, or save it for a KO. Your choice.
Up Tilt
Damage: 13
Frame speed: 6
Knockback: 10/10
Range: 9/10
Usefulness: 9/10
Notes: A very useful move. This move should be your main killing move- it comes
out very fast, has surprising range and very high knockback. The range is
pretty much the length of Snake's whole body face down. If your opponent
can't DI well, this should kill at around 110, go a bit higher on larger
stages like Final Destination. The highest I've seen it KO a Meta Knight
with very good DI and Momentum cancelling is 124 of Final Destination, so
that should be a good guideline for other characters.
Down Tilt
Damage: 10
Frame speed: 6
Knockback: 7/10
Range: 8/10
Usefulness: 6/10
Notes: Not really a bad move, but Snake normally has better moves in this
situation. The only time that this move is worth considering is out of a
crawl to dodge projectiles. Quite a disappointment after the other moves.
3.2 Specials
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Snakes Specials are very unique. All 4 of them are explosives, and 2 of them
can hurt him, which can be used to his advantage. Specials are executed by
pressing the special button, with or without a direction.
Hand Grenade
Command: Special
Damage: 2-5 when thrown, 12 explosion
Knockback: 8/10
Usefulness: 10/10
Notes: Snake's second best move, with a whole lot of AT's to go with it. The
Grenade explodes 3 and a half seconds after being pulled, and can be held in
your hand by holding the special button. Moving the control stick after
releasing the grenade will make the grenade move farther or closer. While
holding the grenade with special, you move very slowly. The damage from the
throw depends on how fast it is moving. More in the AT section. A lot more.
Nikita
Command: Side Special
Damage: 14 normally, 7 when dropped
Knockback: 3/10
Usefulness: 6/10
Notes: A couple of uses. The main one is edgeguarding. Linking it with the mine
and C4 does an amazing job of blocking the ledge (check ATs) and can be used
to hit an enemy over the ledge or hiding behind a wall. Other than these,
you shouldn't really use it, as it is easily punished. Can be cancelled by
shielding
Cypher
Command: Up Special
Damage: 6%
Notes: Yes. It can explode and do damage. Anyway, try not to go to high above
the opponent. The best way to cancel the Cypher is with an air dodge. The
Cypher also gives you Super Armour Frames. Not much else to say.
C4
Command: Down Special
Damage: 17
Frame speed: 29 after detonating
Knockback: 8/10
Usefulness: 9/10
Notes: Press down special to lay a remote mine. Press it again to detonate it.
They explode by themselves 27 seconds after laying it. More in advanced
techniques and strategies.
3.3 Aerials
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Snake's aerials are... weird. Two of them do 14 to 10 damage very quickly, and
the other two are 4 hits, doing 29 damage in total. The fifth is pretty much
useless. Aerials are executed by pressing the attack button with or without a
direction in the air.
Neutral Air
Damage: 29 (6, 5, 5, 12(?))
Frame speed: 10
Knockback: 8/10
Range: 7/10
Usefulness: 9/10
Notes: Probably Snake's best aerial. 29 damage with decent knockback and speed.
The best way to use this move is right after a full-hop or right before
the peak of a midair jump. A reliable move that should be used a lot against
aerial characters like Luigi or large characters like Bowser.
Forward Air
Damage: 14-15
Frame speed: 23
Knockback: 10/10 sweetspotted, 5/10 otherwise
Range: 9/10
Usefulness: 5/10
Notes: It spikes if sweetspotted. Other than that, quite useless. You also have
a very low chance of actually getting the spike because it's so slow. Use it
in water, or never at all.
Back Air
Damage: 14-10
Frame speed: 7
Knockback: 5/10
Range: 7/10
Usefulness: 6/10
Notes: Snake's entire body turns into a hit box. There are two decent ways to
use it. The first is to use it during a fast fall, while the second is
the Reverse Aerial Rush. Good for momentum cancelling.
Up Air
Damage: 14-10
Frame speed: 10
Knockback: 5/10
Range: 7/10
Usefulness: 7/10
Notes: Not much to say. Use it if the enemy is above you and for momentum
cancelling. Just like Bair.
Down Air
Damage: 29 (6, 5, 5, 12(?))
Frame speed: 6
Knockback: 8/10
Range: 4/10
Usefulness: 8/10
Notes: The best way to use this is out of a short hop or from a jump from the
ledge. If you use this from a ledge jump, the first hit will connect with a
nearby opponent, though the other three hits will leave you vulnerable.
Alternatively, you can execute a short hop out of a shield to do this move.
Say a Meta Knight dashgrabs you. If you spotdodge, you can punish with a
29 damage short-hopped down air.
3.4 Smashes
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Snake's smashes are also very awkward. His Fsmash is pretty much useless, his
Dsmash is a landmine, and his Usmash is a projectile. To execute a smash,
press attack and a direction at the same time.
Forward Smash
Damage: 23
Frame speed: 41
Knockback: 15/10
Range: 5/10
Usefulness: 4/10
Notes: Never use this, except as a mindgame. End of story.
Up Smash
Damage: 14 (4, 10)
Frame speed: 11
Knockback: 6/10
Range: 10/10
Usefulness: 6/10
Notes: By itself, it's nothing to be afraid of. Check DACUS for how to use this
move.
Down Smash
Damage: 14 (20 charged)
Frame speed: 130
Knockback: 7/10
Range: 10/10
Usefulness: 8/10
Notes: Good for stage control. They disappear by themselves after 25 seconds.
More in the advanced techniques section.
3.5 Grabs
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Grabs... not much to say. Execute with the grab button, or with shield then
attack, then press attack for a pummel or a direction to throw.
Grab
Frame speed: 8
Range: 4/10
Usefulness: 7/10
Pummel
Damage: 2
Notes: Pummel twice or three times for a bit of damage before a throw.
Forward Throw
Damage: 9
Knockback: 7/10
Usefulness: 6/10
Notes: A good throw to get the opponent of the ledge.
Back Throw
Damage: 9
Knockback: 7/10
Usefulness: 6/10
Notes: A carbon copy of Fthrow.
Up throw
Damage: 10
Knockback: 6/10
Usefulness: 4/10
Notes: Quite useless.
Down Throw
Damage: 12
Knockback: 1/10
Usefulness: 9/10
Notes: Snakes best grab and leads into a tech chase. More in advanced
techniques
3.6 Other
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Some other moves.
Jab
How to execute: Attack button only.
Damage: 14 (4, 3, 7)
Frame speed: 3
Knockback: 7/10
Range: 7/10
Usefulness: 7/10
Notes: Probably the best jab in the game, but that's not really saying much.
However, you can jab cancel to an Ftilt or grab for a more damage. Holding A
makes snake use the first move over and over again.
Dash Attack
How to execute: Run and then press th attack button.
Damage: 11-8
Frame speed: 5
Knockback: 5/10
Range: 10/10
Usefulness: 7/10
Notes: Decent damage, and is necessary to do the DACUS.
Taunt
How to execute: Press taunt
Damage: 2
Knockback: 1/10
Range: 3/10
Usefulness: 1/10
Notes: Don't use it for a KO or damage unless you want to die. I somehow
accidentally killed someone with it though :b
Ledge Attack
How to execute: Press attack while hanging off the ledge.
Damage: 8
Notes: Takes longer when above 100.
=======================
4. Advanced Techniques
=======================
Techniques... that are advanced. Here, I will go through every advanced
technique, or AT that Snake specifically can do. These won't all necessarily
be ATs, but general secrets regarding Snake. They are listed in my opinion of
the order of difficulty. Commands impossible or very difficult without a GCN
controller are marked with an asterisk.
How to Execute: How to perform in words.
GCN Controller Command: What buttons to press if you use the GCN controller.
Effect: What the AT does.
Usefulness: My rating with 10 the highest and 1 the lowest.
Notes: My notes on the move.
4.1 Grenades
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Snake's best projectile, with a hundred ATs to go with it.
Zero Lag Landing
How to execute: Jump, hold a grenade
GCN controller command: While in air, hold B
Effect: Snake lands on the ground with zero landing lag.
Usefulness: 5/10
Notes: You can't get simpler than this. But what does this do? When you land,
you have two frames of lag normally, and six out of a fastfall. Your
landmine explodes two frames after getting near it. Basically, if you hold
shield during this, you can perfect shield your own landmine. Well, you've
got to start somewhere, right?
Shield Drop
How to Execute: Hold a grenade with special, than press shield while on the
ground.
GCN controller command: Hold B, Press L/R until shield appears.
Effect: Snake pulls out a grenade, pulls up a shield, and the grenade
drops on the ground
Usefulness: 10/10
Notes: Not only is this used in many other grenade tricks, but it is useful in
its own right. If you pick it up again, it is treated like a normal item, so
you can run at normal speed and throw it in any of the four cardinal
directions. If you time it perfectly, you can do the "grenade counter",
where the grenade will be hit by an opponents attack, exploding it, while
you are safe in your shield. And you can roll backwards while leaving a
grenade right in front of you, acting kind of like a wall.
Grenade Strip
How to Execute: While one of your grenades are out, shield drop another
grenade.
GCN Controller Command: ^^^
Effect: The first grenade will fall to the ground for no reason.
Usefulness: 8/10
Notes: So, what's the point? Well, the grenade will drop no matter where it is,
so this actually has a lot of practical uses. If a Meta Knight's about to
recover, you can throw a grenade of the stage and strip it to make it fall
straight down, doing 4 damage and possibly creating an explosion. If they
pick up the first grenade, you can shield drop the other making it fall
right in front of their face. Not the most best snake technique, but useful
nonetheless.
Grenade Cooking
Notes: Smashboards can help you more with this than I ever could.
http://www.smashboards.com/showthread.php?t=165922
DAC throw (Dash Attack cancelled Throw)*
How to Excute: While holding a grenade after a shield drop, Perform a DACUS
GCN Controller Command: While holding a grenade- Dash, C-down then straight
after press Z and up together
Effect: Snake will move very far while throwing the grenade upwards.
Usefulness: 7/10
Notes: Use to hit an enemy high above. Even though you slide, you have no
hitbox in front of you, leaving you open to attack. Not that useful, usually
you'd be better off with a quick throw grenade.
Glidetoss*
How to Execute: While holding a grenade after a shield drop, roll then right
after move the C-stick in the direction you want to throw
GCN Controller Command: While holding a grenade- L/R, tap the direction you
want to "glide" then right after C-stick the direction you want to throw.
Effect: Snake will move slightly in the direction of the cancelled roll, then
throw the grenade in the direction of the C-stick
Usefulness: 7/10
Notes: Snake doesn't really benefit much from this, but can still be used to
make a good defensive strike. It pretty much cancels the momentum from the
roll into a slide.
Quick throw Grenade*
How to Execute: Shield Drop a grenade, short hop, air dodge than right after
C-stick a throw.
GCN Controller Command: Done right after one another- shield drop, tap Y/X,
L/R, C-stick
Effect: Snake will throw a grenade very far at a relatively quick pace.
Usefulness: 10/10
Notes: My personal favourite AT. It comes out quite fast, and is very useful.
It seems that whenever you follow up an Ftilt with this move, they get hit
by the mine. If they don't jump right into it, they end up on the ledge,
giving you a very advantageous position. In addition, it is faster than
the normal shield drop and flies farther than the normal throw, while
letting you move away or towards the attack. You can also throw upwards or
backwards, should the opponent be there, or even down as a wall.
Fall through Grenade
How to Execute: Remember how to block your landmine? Well this is a more useful
variation of it. You must be on a fall through platform, such as the
platforms on Smashville or Battlefield. Just before you touch the ground,
press down.
GCN Controller Command: While in the air, hold B and L/R. Just before you touch
the ground, press down.
Effect: Snake falls through the platform, leaving the grenade on top.
Usefulness: ??/10 (I haven't really mastered it myself)
Notes: If you shield drop, you did it to early. I you spotdodge, you did it to
late. Now right after this, you can use another Grenade to set a wall in
front of you or you can land an aerial, mainly Bair. In fact, if you do it
fast enough, you can actually regrab the Grenade with the Bair, then throw
it when you reach the ground.
4.2 Mines
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The mines are not as useful as the grenades, but are still a valuable asset.
This section will talk about Snake's C4 (down special) and landmine (Dsmash).
This section will not be as extensive as the last, so the difficulty will rise
quite fast.
Gooey C4
How to Execute: When right next to an opponent, use the C4
GCN Controller Command: When next to the opponent, Down B
Effect: The mine will stick onto the opponent with gooey bomb effects.
Usefulness: 4/10
Notes: For the lulz, nothing more. It can make a difference in doubles, but it
is very hard to do in 1 vs 1. It is also very satisfying to kill someone
with this. And, don't run into them after sticking it, as it could get stuck
on you.
Mine Linking
How to Execute: Lay a C4 just inside a Landmine's hitbox, or vice versa
GCN Controller Command: ^^^
Effect: When exploding the C4, the Landmine will explode as well, effectively
doubling the hitbox.
Usefulness: 9/10
Notes: Not much to say. In my opinion, the best way to use this is to short
hop, lay the C4, then when you land, lay the landmine. This is best done
after taking a stock, so you have time to charge the Dsmash.
Explosive Edgeguarding
How to Execute: Perform the above right near the edge, with the C4 on the
inside.
GCN Controller Command: ^^^
Effect: If the enemy hangs of the ledge and does a normal getup/ ledge attack,
they get hit by the landmine. If they roll, they get hit by the remote mine,
meaning the only safe option is to jump.
Usefulness: 9/10
Notes: The mines should be placed in the order C4-Landmine-Ledge. Quite useful,
placing the opponent between a rock and a hard place. If you think they are
going to jump, you can always do an Nair or Nikita. The only reason this
does not receive a 10 is because of the difficulty to set up.
C4 Recovery
How to Execute: While in the air, C4, then move towards it and C4 again.
GCN Controller Command: Down B, Forward, Down B.
Effect: You will place a mine in the air, then detonating it, sending you
upwards to safety.
Usefulness: 10/10
Notes: Use when your Cypher isn't enough to get you up, or out of a cypher
grab break. To do this, you must not have a mine on the field, another good
reason to lay the mine at the beginning of the stock. The bad thing with
this is that it can kill you easily at about 140. To survive this, you need
to DI towards the stage, and then tech the ledge.
Fake Mine
How to Execute: Just before you land, place a C4 on the ground
GCN Controller Command: ^^^
Effect: You will hear the sound of laying a mine, but no mine will be laid.
Usefulness: ??/10 (again I haven't mastered it.)
Notes: I doubt this is that useful, but it is quite interesting. If you do it,
you may trick the opponent into thinking that the mine is there, lay another
one, then get them hit by the real one. You know the fake is done right if
you cannot see the C4.
4.3. Others
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Some other techniques.
Port Priority
How to Execute: GCN Controller: Take out your controller and put it in port 4.
Anything else: Turn off your controller. Turn it on again.
Effect: Read notes.
Usefulness: 9/10
Notes: Not really an AT, but still quite important. It ends up that if you're
in a higher controller port, you are immune to explosions while in grab-like
attacks, including moves like Ganon's side special. This can easily be
abused by shield dropping a grenade, then grabbing the opponent. When the
grenade explodes, they take damage, but you don't. A couple of other things
are effected by port priority, but this is the one that most effects Snake
DACUS (Dash Attack Cancelled Up-Smash)*
How to Execute: Perform a Dash Attack, then right after Usmash.
GCN Controller Command: Dash, C-down, Z+up.
Effect: Snake will slide quite far and fast while using his Usmash.
Usefulness: 10/10
Notes: Snake's most well known AT. This is a very versatile move. It can be
used both as an approach and as a retreat, and is faster than his real dash.
When used as a retreat, the projectile usually acts like a wall, giving you
a decent advantage. The actual slide does less damage than the normal Dash
attack. Can be used to target an airborne enemy. If you shield drop a
grenade and roll backwards, you can grab the grenade again with the DAC,
then throw it again after the Usmash.
Jab Cancel
How to Execute: Perform the first move or two of the jab, press down, then do
whatever move you want
GCN Controller Command: A, (another A if you feel like it), down, anything.
Effect: Snake will do the first move or two of the jab, then be able to do
any move.
Usefulness: 10/10
Notes: Snake benefits quite a lot from this AT. After cancelling the jab with
down, you can do any move. The most common moves I do are the Ftilt, for
more damage, or the grab, for a surprise attack.
Knee Lock
How to Execute: Do this first Ftilt, and right after your chance for the second
Ftilt ends, do another one.
GCN Controller Command: (while holding side) A (wait) A (wait) A (wait) repeat.
Effect: The opponent will continuously be hit by the first hit of Ftilt.
Usefulness: 8/10
Notes: This can be escaped, and you probably want be able to use it more than
3 or 4 times in a row.
RAR (Reverse Aerial Rush)
How to Execute: Dash, turn around, jump, Bair.
GCN Controller Command: Forward, Back, tap Y/X, Forward (back from your current
position), A.
Effect: Snake will run, then use his Bair
Usefulness: 6/10
Notes: Snake doesn't benefit from this as much as, say, Toon Link or Kirby, but
can be used as a surprise attack. DACUS is usually the better choice.
Tech Chase
How to Execute: Do a down throw. Predict where the opponent is going to go and
counter, preferably with another grab.
GCN Controller Command: ^^^
Effect: The opponent is stuck in what can be an infinite if done right.
Usefulness: ??/10 (another one)
Notes: Let's say you do a down throw. They have 4 possibilities- roll away,
roll towards and behind, stay in the same spot or do a getup attack. If they
roll away, you can run up to them, then grab. If they roll behind, you can
turn around and grab them. If the getup attack, you can spotdodge then grab
them. If they stay, then you can Dtilt or wait for them to do something
else. There are two ways to help improve your predictions- with mines and
while on a platform. Say you shield drop, roll backwards, then do a Dthrow.
Go forward- explosion. Stay- explosion. Getup attack- explosion. Leaving
a roll behind you. They roll backwards and see... a rocket pointed at their
face. If you can set this up, aiming an Fsmash behind you can easily bring
you up a stock. If you are on a platform, there's less space to move around,
allowing a greater margin for error. For numbers and more information, check
smashboards: http://www.smashboards.com/showthread.php?t=235804
=======================
5. Strategies
=======================
So, how do you play Brawl? This section will cover on actually playing the
game, and general habits that you should develop. I consider this the main part
of the guide.
5.1 General Brawl Strategies
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
So, how do you get good? Here's how.
First of all, how do you win in Brawl?
Now, most beginners will probably say "to knock the opponent over the edge".
This is wrong. That is just like saying the goal of soccer is to score goals
(sad of me to compare Brawl to sport, eh?). Anyway, the goal of soccer is,
quite obviously, to score more goals than your opponent. Similarly, the goal of
Brawl isn't to KO, but to KO your opponent more times than your opponent KOs
you. Again, with soccer, about half the team has a defensive role. Your
playstyle in Brawl should be the same- learning the defensive manoeuveres are
as important, if not more so, than the offensive combos. Hence, most of this
section is devoted to defence. This is pretty much the number one rule of
Brawl.
Secondly, how do you practice?
Now, chances are, most of you play against level nines. This is not a very good
way to practice. The reason your reading this guide is probably to beat a
specific person, and that's exactly what you should do. You should practice
against real people. Get your little brother or sister to play. In fact, if you
do this, then you'll become their "person", so that they will try to get
better, and so on. Now, if you don't have any siblings, get your cousins into
the game. If you have no cousins, play with your friends. If you have no
friends, I feel very sorry for you. Playing online isn't normally a good way to
practice either. The lag will almost always stuff up your game. If you really
have nobody to play with, the best CPU to play with is probably level sevens,
as they don't give you unreasonable arrogance, or level 1s, as you can easily
work on your ATs.
I can't really think of anymore at the moment, so I'll get straight into the
section.
Shielding
Remember what I said above? So we're going to start off here. Let's analyse the
shield shall we? It's a coloured ball, that gets smaller, until it disappears
and you go into a stunned state, with two exceptions- Yoshi and Jiggly, but I
won't go through those in here. Once you mast blocking with the shield, you
should notice a great improvement. Now, as I've already said, your shield keeps
getting smaller while it's held up, which can be used against you. Let's say
your fighting a Meta Knight, and he uses Mach Tornado. If he began the attack
tight next to you, your shield will keep getting smaller, until it stops
covering your head or your feet. Once that is exposed, you will be hit by the
rest of the attacks. In this situation, your best options would be to move away
before the attack begins, and punish with a quick move. Unrelated to the Mach
Tornado example, if you shield at the right time, you can perfect shield, which
does no damage to the shield, and allows you to release the shield faster.
Rolling
So... Rolling is another defence tactic in Brawl. The most useful uses of this
is as a defensive retreat or to get behind the opponent. Use it often. You have
a frame or two before and after the roll where you can receive damage, so don't
use while in the middle if a multihit move. Rolls are executed with shield and
side.
Spotdodging
The art of spotdodging is prediction. Predict when the opponent is going to
attack, spotdodge, then counter. Spotdodges are hard to punish, so use it a
lot. Spotdodging also leaves you vulnerable to multihit attacks. Spotdodges are
executed with shield and down.
Airdodging
Airdodges are basically aerial spotdodges. The general rule of thumb is to
spotdodge as you near an opponent attempting to juggle you.
DI
DI is probably the most important technique in Brawl. DI, or directional
influence, is controlling your trajectory during hitstun. You probably already
DI, without knowing what it is. Anyway, there are three types of DI- "normal"
DI, or DI, Smash DI, or SDI and Automatic Smash DI, or ASDI.
The most simple
one of these is DI. Basically, if you are getting hit straight up, and you
press left, you are DI-ing. Your character should move left. Now, moving to the
side has many great advantages. Let's say that you would normally get killed by
Snake's Utilt at 110. If you press right, you might move a full 45 degrees to
the top, going right to the top-right corner, instead of the roof. Now, the
distance from the floor to the corner is almost 30% larger than the distance
from the floor straight up to the roof, letting you survive up to 145 or so.
DI is also important when getting hit by combos, as it allows you to move away
from it. You get the most impact from DI if you move the control stick/pad
perpendicular to the normal trajectory, while you get no difference if you move
parallel. Okay, maybe it wasn't that simple.
SDI is the second trick and can only be done with the GCN controller. To Smash
DI, you must move the C-stick during hitlag. You move a small distance into the
direction that you SDI-ed in. If you release the stick and press it again, you
can move in that direction again. SDI can be used to escape from combos and
from some environmental hazards, such as the laser on Halberd and multiple
final smashes.
ASDI is really the most simple to do, but also needs the GCN controller. To
ASDI, hold the C-Stick and then... that's it. You will move in the direction of
the C-stick, but in half the distance of normal SDI. This can be used to escape
from multihit attacks, such as R.O.B.'s Dsmash or Kirby's Dair.
Spacing
Another important skill for both attack and defence. Spacing is your position
on the field. If you are Pit, you want to be as far from the enemy as possible.
If you are Luigi, you want to be in the air. If you are the Ice Climbers, you
want your opponent to be in the air. With Snake, you want to be on the ground
at the edge, with your opponent trying to approach.
The two moments of offensive play
This is more what I think than what might be helpful to you, so I won't mind if
you skip to the next question. If you see this guide anywhere other than
GameFAQs, please notify me via email. I had to do that. Anyway, there seem to
be two moments of offensive play- one where the opponent is below say, 120,
when you try to rack up damage, and above that, where you aim to take a stock.
When the damage is low, as Snake, you should try to get their damage up with
tilts and specials, while after the damage racks up, send them off the stage
with smashes.
Momentum cancelling
An important skill that helps you last longer. When you are knocked back, you
regain the ability to use aerials before you can fastfall or jump. If you use a
fast aerial, you can use the fastfall or jump at the end of the aerial, which
is usually shorter then the time without any cancel at all. When you are hit
upwards, use Bair to end the hitstun, then fastfall. If you use the GCN
controller, you can hold Down then flick the C-stick backwards to do the Bair
and an immediate fastfall. When being knocked to the sides, Uair and then Jump.
Youtube can help you with this.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njcYW0rFmUg
5.2 Snake's Strategies
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Snake's strategies- what a surprise.
Beginning a battle.
Now, let's consider a real battle and how you can play as Snake. The enemy is
some approacher who likes to stay on the attack. The battle starts- what do you
do? Well, there are two main ways to begin a battle- with grenades or with a
crouch. You can also DACUS if you want to mix things up a bit. Now, in this
battle, you should begin with grenades- they want you to go closer, so make it
hard for them. If they are an aerial fighter, do a quick throw. If they are
small, do a normal throw. If anything else, do a shield drop throw. You can
also Shield Drop and roll away to create a wall.
If they are a projectile spammer, like Fox or Pit, you can't out camp them. Try
to duck under the attacks and Dtilt. Mix it up with an aerial strike.
Racking up damage
Snake racks up damage very easily, and has a lot of efficient moves to work
with. Your main damage rackers are Grenades, Mines, Dair, Nair and Ftilt each
with its own specific situation to use. Use grenades when the enemy is far
away. Use Dair as a counter after spotdodges and perfect shields. Nair for
retreating, approaching or aerial enemies and Ftilt or jab cancelled Ftilt for
normal attacks, especially after a roll. If you have mastered tech chases, you
should use those too. Many of his ATs set up for these.
Defeating the Enemy
Once the opponents damage is above 120, you should aim for a kill. Snake's most
efficient kill move is Utilt, without a doubt. All of the damage racking moves,
except for the Grenades are also viable kill moves, so it would be wise to save
one from stale-move negation and use it as a KO. Near the edge of a stage, you
can aim for a KO with those moves at about 80 with bad DI. A tech chase into an
Fsmash makes the perfect KO, and well placed C4s are effective as well.
New stock, New strategy
If you are on a very high percent and are up a stock, you can either return to
your damage racking style, or fight in an effective and suicidal way- the
grenade counter. Grenades are unaffected by decay, making it very useful for
this situation. Basically, try to make the grenade explode, while hopefully
shielding while it's up.
Fight Me!!! On the Ledge!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yEJ1KGGhRo
Anyway, don't be like that idiot against my brother (it wasn't me, but I know
the guy). So be smart when it comes to fighting on the ledge. If someone's
trying to do that, you have two choices- a Nikita or a grenade strip. Both of
them should be able to hit him. DON'T chase him. If you're the one on the edge,
you have a big disadvantage- Imagine you're on the edge and Meta Knight is
near. Normal getup- Dsmash. Roll- Dsmash. Getup attack- Spotdodge Dsmash. Your
only half decent way is to jump, but he can easily intercept with an aerial.
You have to choices- jump and Dair, or jump and grenade. The first hit of Dair
will make contact, but the rest will miss unless he wants to get hit. Taking
a grenade is probably the smarter option, as they will most likely be sent
further, taking a few percent for an advantageous position.
Mine-Games
A short section by comparison, but still quite useful. The most beneficial
places to lay your mines, other than the edgeguard, is on platforms. Placing
the mine on a platform gives a hitbox underneath the platform, stopping both
ground and aerial approaches. The mines can also be linked vertically.
Grenade Placement
Again, Youtube and Smashboards is your friend.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkWuKKIXdOU
=======================
6. Matchups
=======================
How does Snake face against that guy your having trouble with? Here they are.
I'll start off with the three most annoying in my opinion, then do the rest in
alphabetical order.
Difficulty is rated out of 5 with 3 an even fight. a "." means half.
6.1 King Dedede
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Difficulty: *****/*****
What to watch out for:
Chaingrabs
Chaingrabs
Random Gordos
Chaingrabs
Chaingrabs
Bair Edgeguards
Priority
More Chaingrabs
This match is incredibly dumb. Get caught in one grab (did I mention his insane
grab range?) and you just lost at least 20 damage. And then, it's so hard to
recover once you get knocked off the edge. Since you're Snake, your more than
likely to either land on the stage itself after your Cypher or miss it
completely, and, since they're Dedede, they're most likely to edguard with Bair
or another grab. Nair's good for racking up damage, but Utilt's useless
because of Dedede's range, so save Ftilt for KOs. Grenade camping is a viable
method, but the un-shielded grenade counter works in their favour, so don't
even try to do it.
6.2 Meta Knight
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Difficulty: *****/*****
What to watch out for:
Aerial Gimps
Dsmash KOs
Tornado
Amazing Priority
Speed
Start off with a grenade, and throw it any way you like, then grenade and roll
back. Remember to airdodge whenever you think he'll chase you off the edge. Use
grenades. A lot. They actually can break through the tornado. Utilt at about
110. Nair loses its usefulness, because he's so small. Use Dair instead. Watch
out for Dsmash. His Fsmash hits behind him. Don't use the Nikita, and stay on
the ground as much as possible.
Will upload a video soon.
6.3 Falco
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Diffiuculty: ****/*****
Things to watch out for:
Lasers
Chaingrabs
Spikes
He'll almost certainly start off with Short Hop Double Laser, so crouch and
approach. Now it gets VERY dangerous. He has two main options- chaingrab or
Falco Illusion. Get hit by a chaingrab and you've just lost 30. And if you
can't C4 recover, you're gone. The Falco Illusion is his side special. You have
two choices- spotdodge or intercept with Dtilt. Your choice. If the Falco
hasn't perfected his Chaingrab, you might be able to pull out a grenade in the
middle of the attack to stop it. You can only be chaingrabbed when you're below
40. Try to duck under the lasers whenever you can.
6.4 Bowser
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Difficulty: **/*****
Things to watch out for:
Powerful Smashes
Quick KOs
Bowsers aren't really that hard. Since he has pretty much no useful
projectiles, just spam grenades. You have two main ways to rack up damage:
through juggling with Uair and a few full hopped Nairs. Because he's so heavy,
Utilt will take a while to kill, so save Ftilt for KOs as well. If the enemy
tries to "Bowsercide" you (using SideB then jumping off the edge) try and hold
the other direction and you may survive. Bowser's recovery has very low
priority, so running off the edge with an Nair is viable for a KO as well.
DACUS is easily spammable.
6.5 Captain Falcon
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Difficulty: **./*****
Things to watch out for:
Quick Smashes
Not much to say. Try to stay below him, and don't make stupid mistakes, like
getting hit by a Falcon punch. His smashes are quite fast, so watch out. Since
he has no projectiles, grenade spam is very useful. Utilt for KOs. And watch
out for his sweetspotted knee.
6.6 Diddy Kong
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Difficulty: ***./*****
Things to watch out for:
Bannanas
Fast and powerful Fair
Spikes
Dsmash KOs
One of the harder fights. Grenade Spam isn't an option, because of his annoying
bannana glidetosses. His jab cancel to grab is very good at damaging you. Be
careful when recovering from below, because he can easily spike you, and be
careful when recovering from the side, as he can finish you off with an Fair.
Your Nair isn't really an option, unless he has short-hopped, so stick with
Ftilt and Dair for damage. If you see a lone bannana on the stage, pick it up
and throw it at him. His recovery is slow, so edgehogging is quite effective.
6.7 Donkey Kong
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Difficulty: **./*****
Things to watch out for:
Power
Grabs
Spikes
Since he has no good projectiles, keep spamming him with your grenades and
DACUS. Don't get grabbed, and this battle shouldn't be that hard. Fight him in
a similar way to Bowser.
6.8 Fox
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Difficulty: **./*****
Things to watch out for:
Laser Spam
Usmash KOs
Grenade spam isn't an option- they'll explode in your face before they get
halfway there. You have three ways to approach: from a DACUS, from a Bair or
from a crouch. Mix it up to stay unpredictable. Their Usmash kills at about 90,
so watch out. The lasers might not seem like they do any damage, but it adds up
very quickly. He's rather light, so Utilt kills right early. Try and stay on a
platform to dodge the lasers.
6.9 Game and Watch
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Difficulty: **./*****
Things to watch out for:
Poweful Bair
Random 9 judgement
Fsmash
Keep far away with your grenades. Since he's two small, Nair's pretty
much useless. His Fsmash, while not being very powerful, lasts a very long
time, so don't run into it by accident. His Bair is a pain. Snake's projectiles
do not get absorbes by his Bucket. Since he's rather light, use Utilt for KOs.
DACUS is risky. I hate Game and Watch.
6.10 Ganondorf
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Difficulty: *./*****
Things to watch out for:
Flame Choke Tech Chases
Stupid mistakes that will kill you
A very easy fight. You can win quite easily with DACUS or granade spam, because
he's so slow. Be careful not to do stupid mistakes and get hit by his Warlock
Punch or Utilt. The one thing that's going for him is his tech chases, similar
and more powerful than yours. Because he's so heavy, don't try and KO with
Utilt.
6.11 Ice Climbers
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Difficulty: *./*****
Things to watch out for:
Chaingrabs
Uair juggles.
If you're playing most normal players, the Ice Climbers are no problem- DACUS,
Ftilt, Dair, Grenade, they can't do anything. There are two things to watch out
for, though- Uair juggles and Stupid Chaingrabs. If their trying to juggle you,
just try and make sure they miss until you've landed firmly on the ground. If
they're good, however, chaingrabs will do a lot of damage to you. Fortunately,
the damage isn't that high compared to some of the other characters. Because
they're so light, Utilt is a great kill move. If they're average, it shouldn't
be so hard to kill both of them in one hit. If you're only able to kill the
pink one, Ftilt works fine for the KO of the purple one. Holding a grenade can
stop a chaingrab.
6.12 Ike
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Difficulty: */*****
Things to watch out for:
Power
Disjointed Hitboxes
Counter
Ike is easy. Especially for Snake. Since he's so big, Nair works fine. Since
he's so slow, DACUS works fine. Since he has no projectiles, grenades work
fine. Since his recovery is so bad, Ftilt works fine. The only things that you
really need to be careful of is the slow Smashes (I've lost count how many
times I've been hit by an Fsmash because I spotdodged too early) and his range.
Other than that, this battle is very easy. Don't be predictable and get hit by
a counter. Oh, and save Ftilt for KOs.
6.13 Jigglypuff
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Difficulty: */*****
Things to watch out for:
Rest
Aerial chases
A rather easy battle. Since she's small, grenades loses its effectiveness,
unless you can properly cook them. However, she's the lightest charcter in the
game, meaning VERY early Utilt KOs. Since Jigglypuff fights from the air,
full-hopped Nair works fine. However, be careful not to be chased off the edge
with her aerials.
6.14 Kirby
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Difficulty: ***/*****
Things to watch out for:
Stupid Combos
RAR
Quick and powerful Fsmash
An annoying battle mainly because of his grab combos. Try and play defensively,
keeping a grenade near you at all times during the beginning of a match. Once
you get to 15 or so, then you can play offensively. Kirby can easily approach
with a RAR, can suck you up and can kill you quite quickly wth Fsmash. Other
than these, the battle is similar to a Jigglypuff battle.
6.15 Link
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Difficulty: *./*****
Things to watch out for:
Zair
Projectiles
In case you're wondering, Zair is a grab attack (Z) in the air. Anyway, stay in
close range with your Ftilt and Nair. The projectiles are rather annoying. When
recovering from below, be careful of his Dtilt, which spikes. His recovery is
very bad, however, so Ftilt is great for an early KO.
6.16 Lucario
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Difficulty: **./*****
Things to watch out for:
Aura
Double Team
A strange property of Lucario is that he gets more powerful the higher damage
he's on. Stay on the offense when he's low, then go for a bit of defence when
his damage is higher up. Like always, stay on the ground. Interestingly, the
Nikita will break through an Aura Sphere, no matter how high they are. Use
your tilts for damage and finish them off with Utilt.
6.17 Lucas
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Difficulty: **/*****
Things to watch out for:
Annoying Voice Acting
PK Fire
Fsmash
Usmash
Stay far away with your grenades. Lucas has very few options when you're far
away. If you're holding a grenade, PK fire will hurt you, then blow up the
grenade. Fsmash is fast and quite powerful, while Usmash is slow with
invincibility frames. Watch out for both.
6.18 Luigi
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Difficulty: **/*****
Things to watch out for:
Jab Cancels
Aerials
Another rather easy battle. Luigi is an aerial fighter, so stay firmly on the
ground, unless you're doing an Nair. Grenades and the DACUS work fine for
racking up damage, with an Utilt KO. Be careful of the odd Jab Cancel to Fire
Punch. As always, use Ftilt.
6.19 Mario
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Difficulty: *./*****
Things to watch out for:
...
...
...
Cape?
Mario is a rather simple character to fight. There isn't much going for him, so
just fight how you normally do. FLUDD can get annoying as well, but no problem
with the cypher recovery. He normally KOs with Fsmash or Usmash.
6.19 Marth
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Difficulty: **./*****
Things to watch out for:
Speed
Priority
Tippers
Counter
Marth has no projectiles, so, like always, grenade spam. Watch out with your
tilts, as they can be countered for a lot of damage. If their attack is
tippered, the knockback is pretty much doubled, making quite a noticeable
difference between good and bad players. Don't use Nair or Dair, because he
can eaily outprioritise you. Try to stay random and not be countered.
6.21 Ness
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Difficulty: **./*****
Things to watch out for:
Aerials
Bthrow
This match is very different to against Lucas. Ness' aerials are very fast, so
watch out, and it makes Nair's useless because of its priority. His Bthrow is
very powerful. However, since he's light, Utilt kills rather quickly. Try to
block his aerials and counter with an Ftilt. grenade spamming is not that
useful in this matchup. They will probably try to KO with Usmash or Dsmash.
6.22 Olimar
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Difficulty: ***./*****
Things to watch out for:
Amazing Grab Range
White Pikmin throws
Yellow or Red Pikmin spikes
Purple Pikmin Smashes.
One of the harder matchups. Stay away and use your grenades. Since Pikmin spawn
so fast, don't bother aiming at them. The white Pikmin can do 30 damage when it
latches on to you, and the yellow and red Pikmin have one of the strongest
spikes in the game. The purple Pikmin is very powerful when it comes to smashes
and the red one also resists your explosives. Try and kill him with Utilt, and
rack up damage with grenades and Dair.
6.23 Peach
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Difficulty: **./*****
Things to watch out for:
Toad Counter
Turnips
Aerials
Another aerial fighter. Snake doesn't really do well against these guys.
Anyway, try and stay on the ground, don't try and use your grenades because of
her turnips, and watch out for the odd counter or two. I'm quite inexperienced
in this matchup, so other ideas are very welcome.
6.24 Pikachu
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Difficulty: **./*****
Things to watch out for:
Thunder Spam
Fsmash
Pikachu is annoying. If they try to spam their down B, use your grenades.
However, you will be outcamped by his other moves. Tilts work well like always,
and Dair is good for damage as well. Pikachu's Fsmash lasts quite a long time
with decent range, so don't try to spotdodge it.
6.25 Pit
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Difficulty: ***/*****
Things to watch out for:
2 Reflectors
Quick Fsmash
Arrow spam
I hope you like arrows with your spam. Anyway, try and get close to the
opponent, unless you want to be hit by the arrows. Oddly enough, Pit isn't a
very good aerial fighter, meaning that you can use Nair without much risk. Cook
grenades when the opponent is off the edge, as hitting him during his recovery
does not restore his Up special. Use this to your advantage. Don't use grenades
much anywhere else, as he can easily reflect it or use his arrows.
6.26 Pokemon Trainer
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Pokemon trainer has three pokemon, which can be switched in and out at anytime
that he is on the ground, or after he loses a stock. The pokemon gradually get
weaker the longer they stay out, but obviouly it's more preferable to take a
stock. Funny enough, Sakurai did add the normal pokemon effects: Squirtle is
weak against grass and resistant to fire, Ivysaur is Weak against fire and
resistant to water, and Charizard is weak against water and resistant to grass.
Squirtle
Difficulty: **/*****
Things to watch out for:
Water Gun
Dsmash
Meh. He's small, meaning Dair and Utilt is the way to go. Squirtle's recovery
creates a hibox in front of him, which means that throwing a grenade at it will
automaticall make it explose (that's a good thing). Water Gun acts just like
FLUDD, and Dsmash has a very large hitbox.
Ivysaur
Difficulty: **/*****
Things to watch out for:
Not much really
Not much to say. Bullet seed can easily be DI'd out of, don't be hit by his
sweetspotted vine whip, and that's pretty much all. Probably the hardest of the
Pokemon, but your grenades are perfect because of the elemental weaknesses.
Charizard
Difficulty: *./*****
Things to watch out for:
Sweetspotted Rock Smash
Probably the easiest pokemon. Nair's your best bet for racking up damage, with
an Ftilt KO. Since he has no projectiles, grenade spam and DACUS works
perfectly. If you get hit by his skull during rocksmash, you'll take a lot of
damage, so be careful.
6.27 R.O.B.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Difficulty: ***./*****
Things to watch out for:
Lasers
Dsmash
Fsmash
Fair
R.O.B. is a very balanced character. Try to stay on the offense. Nair isn't
very useful because his Fair and Nair outprioritise you, and grenades aren't
either because of his laser, gyro and reflector. His recovery's quite good,
unlike other heavyweights, meaning Utilt is the better KO option. The DACUS is
quite useful in this battle. Fsmash and Dsmash is his best KO moves. Dsmash
hits in both directions very fast, and Fsmash is quite quick and powerful.
Dsmash, however, can be ASDI'd out of with good reflexes.
6.28 Samus
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Difficulty: **/*****
Things to watch out for:
Spike
Charge Shot
You can fight any way you want in this battle, just stay on the ground. Samus
seems vulnerable to all your techniques, but is weak against none. Just
remember that you can break through the charge shot with your Nikita, and that
she has a very easy and powerful Spike.
6.29 Sheik
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Difficulty: **./*****
Things to watch out for:
Needles
Usmash
The Needles are a pain. No grenade spamming, and no DACUS. You need to fight
close combat in this matchup. Sheik is light, so save Utilt for KOs. Watch out
for her Ftilt combos and Usmash KOs. Stick to the ground with Ftilt for damage.
Approach by crouching.
6.30 Snake
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Difficulty: ***/*****
Things to watch out for:
What do you think?
Try to get the higher controller port. That is all.
6.31 Sonic
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Difficulty: *./*****
Things to watch out for:
Being too slow
Not stepping it up
Seriously, it's his speed that's the problem. Because he's so fast, spamming
grenades are not a viable option. Sonic finds it very hard to kill, making it
quite an easy battle. Not much else to say, just play your normal tactics.
6.32 Toon Link
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Difficulty: **./*****
Things to watch out for:
Speed
Projectiles
Fight in close combat- his projectiles are a pain. Kill with Utilt. Toon Link's
Dsmash, Fsmash and Spin Attack can all be DI'd out of, leaving Usmash as his
only viable kill move, so watch out for it. Your DACUS makes a good approach.
His RAR is very annoying as well. Stay on the ground as much as possible.
6.33 Wario
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Difficulty: ***/*****
Things to watch out for:
Aerials
Farts
Fsmash
If you want to win in this match, you HAVE to stay on the ground. Wario's
ground game is lacking, but his air game is insane. Grenade spamming is one of
your best options, and if he eats it he still takes damage. For some reason,
his Fsmash has Super Armour, so watch out for that. His fart takes 2 minutes
to charge, but peaks in knockback before that. For KOs, grab him, let him
escape, then Utilt.
6.34 Wolf
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Difficulty: **./*****
Things to watch out for:
Lasers
Reflector
Tilts
Spikes
You cannot duck under his lasers, so approach from the air. His tilts are quite
powerful as well. Other than this, the matchup is quite easy. Your main killing
move should be Ftilt, because of his terrible recovery. Watch out for his
spike and reflector.
6.35 Yoshi
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Difficulty: */*****
Things to watch out for:
Fair spike
Not much to this matchup other than grenade spam. Utilt for early KOs. Funny
enough, his second jump has super armour. Not much else to say- its quite an
easy matchup.
6.36 Zelda
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Difficulty: *./*****
Things to watch out for:
Sweetspotted aerials
Din's Fire spam
Nayru's Love reflector.
Stick to close combat, unless you want to be burnt by Din's Fire. Since she is
really light, Utilt for KOs yet again. Her aerials are hard to sweetspot,
making it rather safe to Nair.
6.37 Zero Suit Samus
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Difficulty: **./*****
Things to watch out for:
Aerials
Speed
I'm quite inexperienced in this matchup, so any help is welcome. Since she is
light, Utilt is a great kill option, and grenade spam is viable.
=======================
7. Glossary
=======================
Chaingrab: Linking throws together. Basically, grab, throw, grab, throw, grab,
throw, grab, throw...
Cypher Grab Break: An annoying weakness of Snake. If you are grabbed out of a
Cypher without being pummelled or thrown, you will not regain your jump or
Cypher, leaving you defenceless. The only ways to survive this is if a
platform comes out of nowhere (Yoshi's Island) or if you Cypher Recovery.
Decay: See Stale-Move Negation.
DI: See Directional Influence.
Directional Influence: Altering a characters movement.
Dijointed Hitbox: A hitbox that isn't a hurtbox.
Fastfall: Falling faster than normal. Fastfall by pressing down.
Frame: The smallest amount of time that can be represented by the Wii. The
framerate of Super Smash Bros is 60 frames per second.
Full Hop: A normal jump.
Gimp: Chase an opponent of the edge so they can't recover.
Hitbox: The actual part of an attack that attacks, such as Marth's sword or
Snake's Hand.
Hitlag: Lag that happens whenever a move hits. It is normally hard to notice,
but sweetspot Captain Falcon's Fair and you'll easily see it.
Hitstun: The time after a hit where you can't do anything. Chains of moves are
considered combos if they all hit during the last move's hitstun.
Hurtbox: The part that can actually receive damage i.e. the character's body.
Invincibility Frames: Frames where the character is invincible to all forms of
attack. This can be seen after respawning or for a second after grabbing the
ledge of a stage.
Meteor Smash: A move that hits the opponent downwards.
Mindgame: A mind trick. Making an opponent think your going to do something
then doing something to counter your suspected action of his suspected
action is a type of a mindgame.
Momentum cancelling: Cancelling your momentum as soon as you can after hitstun.
CPUs always momentum cancel with airdodge. As Snake, use Uair to cancel
momentum to the sides and Bair to cancel momentum from moves to the top.
Perfect Shield: Shielding with almost perfect timing. Perfect Shielding does
not reduce the strength of the shield, and cancels the hitlag of the
shielder
Punish: Making an opponent's mistake as hard to recover from as possible.
Short Hop: A small jump. Perform by only tapping the jump button. You move half
the distance of a regular jump.
Spike: A type of Meteor Smash
Stale-Move Negation: The weakening of moves with frequent use. The game keeps a
counter of the last 10 moves your character has made, and every time that
move is listed, the move gets weakened by a substantial amount.
Super Armour Frames: Frames where you take damage, but no knockback. Super
Armour is obvious during Ike's Aether, where he can take damage, but still
carries on with the attack.
Sweetspot: A few moves have multiple hit boxes at once. The more powerful one
is called the sweetspot, like in a tennis racquet. Snake can sweetspot his
Bair, Uair and Dash attack. An obvious sweetspot is Ness' Bair.
=======================
8. Frequently Asked Questions
=======================
Since this is the first version, I made up all these questions by myself. And
most of them aren't really questions.
Q. You're missing something!
A. Send it to my email, and if it is important, I will update right away.
Q. You spelt something wrong!
A. First of all I'm Australian, and here we use British English, so armor is
armour, specialize is specialise, etc. If there is some typo, send it to
my email found at the bottom of the guide, and it will be fixed in the
next update.
Q. Your character strategy sux!
A. If you have a better strategy, please send it to me and I will credit you.
Q. Who is a good secondary character?
A. Well, obviously Meta Knight. If you don't want to use him, Ice climbers,
Falco, King Dedede and Diddy are quite good as well.
Q. Can I Brawl you?
A. First, read the above question. Now, if you live in Eastern Australia,
hopefully somewhere in Sydney, then your answer is yes, just send me an
email. My friend code is 3952-8459-2715. My available times are between
5 and 9pm on Fridays, 12 and 9pm on Saturdays, and 12 and 5pm on Sundays.
=======================
9. Acknowledgements
=======================
Gamefaqs and SBAllen, for hosting this guide.
Nintendo and Masahiro Sakurai, for making the game.
Konami and Hideo Kojima, for making Snake.
SmashWiki, who told me the background information about Snake.
Smashboards, who discovered pretty much everything in this guide by themselves
http://www.smashboards.com/
Susa/Havokk and EternalYoshi of Smashboards for collecting damage and frame
data. Original post at:
http://www.smashboards.com/showthread.php?t=242407
The authors of all other guides that I have read, to give me a good idea on how
to write one.
The idiot, whose name will not be said, who was featured in the Ledge video.
The other idiot, who got killed by my cardboard box. His name may or may not be
Lewis Qin.
My brother, who introduced me to competitive Brawling.
And thanks to you, the reader, for reading this guide. There'd be no point in
wasting my time on this guide if it wasn't for you.
=======================
10. Contact Information
=======================
If you think that I missed something please send to my email, so I can add it
in the next update. Please do not send any spam, and please title your email
Super Smash Bros Brawl Guide, Snake Guide, or the like. I will try to respond
to every email, right away. Since I don't want my personal email to be spammed,
lets flood the DET with it. This guide will not be submitted anywhere other
than GameFAQs, so don't even bother asking. My email is
ralph.bulanadi [at] education.nsw.gov. [au]
Brackets for the bots.
-----------------------
Copyright 2009 Ralph Bulanadi
This may be not be reproduced under any circumstances except for personal,
private use. It may not be placed on any web site or otherwise distributed
publicly without advance written permission. Use of this guide on any other web
site or as a part of any public display is strictly prohibited, and a violation
of copyright.
